New York police have defended their actions after an aide was shot in the head as two officers confronted a knife-wielding fugitive in a busy subway station.
The man was in critical condition after the shooting at the Sutter Avenue L station in Brooklyn on Sunday afternoon. Three others, including the suspect, were injured.
Police said officers challenged a suspected fare evader, then shot him after he threatened him with a knife. His condition is critical.
New York authorities have made reducing crime on the subway and buses a top priority after a series of violent attacks, robberies and murders. A crackdown on fare evasion is part of that push.
But critics have questioned how the prosecution of a minor offender escalated into the use of lethal force in a crowded area.
Tom Donlon, the city’s acting police commissioner, ordered a full investigation, but added: “Make no mistake, the events that occurred … were the result of an armed perpetrator.”
None of those involved have been named by the police.
Jennvine Wong, of the Legal Aid Society Cop Accountability Project, told the New York Times that police had put lives at risk after choosing “in a confined space … to use disproportionate force.”
At a news conference, NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said two officers saw a man go through the barriers without paying.
Maddrey said body camera footage showed the suspect threatening to “kill” the officers if they followed him, before confronting them with a knife.
The footage shows a train pulled into the station as the confrontation escalated. Officers fired Tasers at the man – to no effect – as he attempted to board the train, before jumping onto the platform.
“At one point he advances on one of the officers with his knife,” Maddrey said. “The officer stops, draws his weapon, and both officers at this point fire.”
Two bystanders, a policeman and the suspect were hit.
Maddrey said the officer realized he had been shot in the armpit but continued to perform “safety measures” on the suspect. The two officers realized that two passers-by had also been hit by the fire. Two other officers then arrived and helped the injured.
Officials said the suspect had a record of 20 prior arrests and a significant history of mental illness.
Janno Liever, the chief executive of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said the incident “started because someone wanted to come to the transit system with a weapon, someone who … had a history of crime and a history of violence and even gun charges.”
Police said on Sunday that a knife had been recovered and posted a photo on social media. The next day, however, he posted another message saying that the knife had been taken from the crime scene by an unidentified man.
City authorities have tried to expand the police presence in their transport system after an increase in crime. All stations on the city’s system have security cameras and pilot schemes are being run to scan passengers for weapons.
The MTA last year announced a crackdown on fare evasion, backed by police enforcement. Officials say aggressive enforcement can help catch criminals and remove weapons from New York trains.
But the problem continues to grow, with NYPD statistics showing 2,227 arrests and more than 30,000 citations in the second quarter of this year — roughly double that of the same period five years ago.